Nikola Tesla, Serbian-born American physicist, electrical
engineer, and inventor, recognized as one of the outstanding pioneers in the electric
power field.

Tesla
was born to Serbian parents in Smiljan, Croatia (then part of AustriaHungary), and educated at the Polytechnic
School in Graz, Austria, and at the University of Prague. After working for three years as
an electrical engineer he immigrated (1884) to the United States, where he later became a
naturalized citizen. For a brief period he was employed by Thomas Edison, but he left that
position to devote himself exclusively to experimental research and invention.

In 1888 Tesla designed
the first practical system of generating and transmitting alternating current for electric
power. The American rights to this epoch-making invention were bought by the American
inventor George Westinghouse, who demonstrated (1893) the system for the first time at the
World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Two years later Tesla's alternating-current
motors were installed at the Niagara Falls power project.

Tesla's many inventions
include high-frequency generators (1890) and the Tesla coil (1891), a transformer with
important applications in the field of radio communications.

ON THE BOOKSHELF:Popular
Patentsby Travis Brown / Paperback - 224 pages / Scarecrow Press (September
1, 2000)
Eighty stories of America's first inventions. Each includes a sketch of the invention, a
profile of the inventor and a glimpse of how the invention has found its way into American
culture.
Tesla : Man Out of Time
by Margaret Cheney / Paperback: 400 pages / Touchstone; 1 Touchsto
edition (October 9, 2001)
From Tesla's childhood in Yugoslavia to his death in New York in the
1940s, Cheney paints a compelling human portrait and chronicles a
lifetime of discoveries that radically altered -- and continue to alter
-- the world in which we live. My Inventions:
The Autobiography of Nikola Tesla
by Ben Johnston (Editor) / Paperback / Hart Brothers Publishing
(October 1982)
My Inventions has been the primary source for all Tesla biographers. Editor Ben Johnston
has a 16 page introduction that traces Tesla's career through a maze of sensationalism and
controversy. The Fantastic
Inventions of Nikola TeslaNikola Tesla, David
Hatcher Childress / Paperback / Publication 1993
Informs you about what Tesla was famous for, and especially act as an excellent
introduction to the marvelous work's of Nikola Tesla. Wizard: The Life
and Times of Nikola Tesla : Biography of a GeniusMarc J. Seifer / Paperback - 560 pages / Citadel Press
-
Reprint Edition 1998
Perhaps because his life did not culminate in wealth and acclaim, Nikola Tesla has largely
slipped from the national memory. Colorado Springs Notes 1899-1900
by Nikola Tesla / Hardcover: 439 pages / Angriff Pr; (August 2001) Tesla's time at Colorado Springs is the critical period
in his life. In his Notebook, we have Tesla in his own words, shifting effortlessly
between startlingly original technical suppositions and his characteristic cosmic
imaginings.
Empires of Light : Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to
Electrify the World
by Jill Jones / Hardcover: 432 pages / Random House; (August 19, 2003)
The genius of such poet-scientists as Nikola Tesla depended on the more
finely tuned business skills of George Westinghouse and the towering
capital of J.P. Morgan to achieve actualization. ON THE SCREEN:Power Plants
DVD / 1 Volume Set / 50 Minutes / History Channel / Less than $25.00 /
Also VHS
Though the basic technology has remained constant for decades, continual
improvements and refinements have made them far more efficient and
powerful.Tesla
- Master of LightningVideo / VHS NTSC format / Color / 90 Miniutes / PBS Home Video (2000)
Informative, professionally produced by PBS, the entire tale is told with accuracy,
insight and detail unavailable in any other documentary on his life and work.

ON THE WEB:Tesla Wardenclyffe Project
A project to preserve and utilize Wardenclyffe, the century-old laboratory of electrical
pioneer Dr. Nikola Tesla located in Shoreham, Long Island, New York.Tesla - Master of Lightning
Visit the PBS site for information on the Master of Lightning show. Explore the
accomplishments of this electrical inventor, enter an interactive laboratory, his Life and
Legacy, Inside the Lab. Tesla for Teachers. Discussions. and Resource listing.
Nikola Tesla Museum
The museum has the complete personal belongings of Nikola Tesla, which
were, according to his last will, collected and transfered to Belgrade
after his death in 1943.NIKOLA TESLA BUST
Third Graders from Summers-Knoll Elementary School in Ann Arbor,
Michigan USA undertook a project that resulted in duplicates of a $6,000
bronze bust (mounted on granite) being donated to 14 major universities.
Their goal is to increase awareness of the accomplishments of Nikola
Tesla, America's forgotten scientist / inventor.Nikola
Tesla Biography
From Britannica Online, courtesy the University of Pittsburgh.
Tesla Memorial Society of New York
Nikola Tesla symbolizes a unifying force and inspiration for all nations
in the name of peace and science. He was a true visionary far ahead of
his contemporaries in the field of scientific development. New York
State and many other states proclaimed July 10, Tesla’s
birthday- Nikola Tesla Day. National Inventors Hall of Fame
Located at Inventure Place, the online home of creative minds.Nikola
Tesla invented the induction motor with rotating magnetic field that
made unit drives for machines feasible and made AC power transmission an
economic reality.Invention Dimension - Inventor of the Week
Celebrates inventor/innovator role models through outreach activities
and annual awards to inspire a new generation of American scientists,
engineers, and entrepreneurs. Nikola Tesla - U.S.
Patent Collection
Provides a searchable database of Nikola Tesla's patents. You can even order copies.IEEE History CenTer Nikola TeslaAfter his death on 7 January 1943, his
papers and notes were seized by the Alien Property office; they are now
housed in the Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade, Yugoslavia.
(URL: www.ieee.org/web/aboutus/history_center/biography/tesla.html)
Nikola Tesla (1856 -1943)
Born of Serb parents in Croatia, Tesla was educated in Europe. He came
to New York in 1884 and worked briefly for Edison. He patented a
practical AC motor in 1888. Other AC patents were used in the
Westinghouse generators at Niagara Falls. He is also known for
high-frequency experiments and inventions in the field of radio.
(URL: americanhistory.si.edu/lighting/scripts/s19d.htm)The
Complete Patents of Nikola Tesla
His list of astounding inventions is truly awe-inspiring. Tesla
demonstrated each of these systems for a select group of witnesses.
Article by Jim Glenn .
(URL: www.hbci.com/~wenonah/new/tesla.htm)
Nikola Tesla Patents
His motor was the solution which made long-distance energy transmission
possible, due to the possibility of transforming alternating currents
into high voltage for more efficient transmission and low voltage for
practical use.
(URL: www.corrosion-doctors.org/Biographies/TeslaBio-Patents.htm)Tesla Roadster
The Tesla Roadster, isn‘t a plan, pipedream or prototype; this car
exists and is for sale now. It‘s a no-compromise driver‘s car that can
accelerate faster than a Porsche 911 and hit a top speed of nearly twice
what the law permits. With a range of 250 miles on a single charge, you
can use it all day long and not worry you‘ll run out of juice. Just plug
it in at night the same way you drop your cell phone into its charger,
and sleep well, without guilt.
(URL: www.teslamotors.com/)WORDS OF WISDOM:"Were we to seize
and eliminate from our industrial world the result of Mr. Tesla's work,
the wheels of industry would cease to turn, our electric cars and trains
would stop, our towns would be dark and our mills would be idle and
dead. His name marks an epoch in the advance of electrical science." -
In his speech presenting Tesla with the Edison medal,
Vice President Behrend of the Institute of Electrical Engineers

DID YOU KNOW?

Nikola Tesla received Patent No. 381,968 on May 1, 1888 for an
alternating current induction motor

Nikola Tesla received Patent No. 382,280 on May
1, 1888 for
the polyphase system of power transmission.

Nikola Tesla received
Patent No. 645,576 on March 20, 1900 for the system of electrical
transmission energy

On his 75th birthday in 1931, the
inventor appeared on the cover of Time Magazine. On this occasion,
Tesla received congratulatory letters from more than 70 pioneers in
science and engineering including Albert Einstein and Mark Twain.
These letters were mounted and presented to Tesla in the form of a
testimonial volume.

Reference
Sources in BOLD Type.

This
page revised October 20, 2006.

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